A Familiar Voice With a Stranger's Face
by EnigmaAngel337
Summary: After the Paris Opera House is rebuilt, Erik begins to discover that a particularly painful past can come back to haunt you in the strangest of ways.
1. Welcome to the Opera

Victoria stood silently, marveling at the beauty of the newly restored Paris Opera House standing before her. Its elegance and beauty was beyond her wildest dreams…even her mother's vivid description did this place no justice. A smile captured her features as she made her way inside, eager to begin her new journey here.

The managers were more than accommodating, ecstatic to have such a breath of fresh air at their opera house. Things had not been the same since the famous disaster, so this theater needed something to reel the public back in. What could be better than this exquisitely beautiful, sixteen-year-old starlet? They had heard her sing on many occasions, and she was certainly a unique catch. Though, at the same time, there was something vaguely familiar about her. She could capture an audience like no one else, seducing every soul in the house with her song and her very presence. In other words, she was exactly what they needed to reawaken the Paris Opera House after the events that took place years ago.

Her first day of rehearsal went well. She stepped into her new role easily and seamlessly. This girl was born for the stage…there was no doubt about it. She had a certain mysterious allure that left everyone in earshot breathless and wanting more. And the graceful way in which her body moved entranced even the most distractible beings.

More than anything, she loved her new home. She had always been an adventurous soul, constantly searching for new and exciting experiences, so this was certainly a welcomed opportunity for her. She had a whole new world, a new playground, at her disposal. In her boredom, she had taken to exploring the opera house, wishing to discover all of its many secrets. She left her explorations to mainly the nighttime, as she found it more thrilling, and she needed not worry about anybody else disturbing her. She had become especially fond of the rooftop. She would often find herself venturing there when she needed to be alone and think, or when she just wanted to get out and relax. Though, she often felt as if she wasn't entirely alone while she was there. She always shook it off and never thought twice about it.

This was certainly a strange, yet magical opera house. At night, she swore that she could hear the very walls singing. They always spoke of love and loss, a beautifully bittersweet voice seducing her ears and singing to her very soul. The mysticism and magic of this place never ceased to amaze her, and the alleged "singing walls" only added to that factor.

As much as she felt at home with the opera house itself, the same could not be said for the other residents. She felt a certain disconnect with them…like she was in a world all her own that was completely separate from theirs. But despite their whispers and strange looks, she was always nothing less than pleasant. Still, she'd rather be left alone with her own thoughts than be surrounded by others.

While along in her room one night, she felt the unmistakable presence yet again. She saw a shadow pass by her door, apparent by the momentary break of the strip light that normally shown under her door. Intrigued, she rose from bed and stepped outside her door, searching the halls for this…well, whatever it was. "Hello?" She called out, silently begging for an answer. Nothing but silence matched her call, so abandoning the light behind her, she made her way down the ill lit hallway. "Hello?" She called out again. "Please, don't be frightened," she gently coaxed the shadows.

An audible gasp escaped from her lips when she felt a hand come down gently on her shoulder. "Good evening, mademoiselle," a man spoke, a mischievous grin resting on his face. Victoria immediately recognized him as one of the backstage crew members. "Out for a little stroll in the moonlight, are we?" He inched closer to her.

"I was just returning to my room for the night." She shot a challenging look at him.

"That would be a wise thing to do," he spoke in an ominous voice. "The phantoms like to come out and play at night." His wicked grin returned as he continued to stare at her.

Victoria crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. "I stopped fearing ghosts years ago. I'm not a little kid, you know," she pouted, her actions almost negating her previous claim. The man raised an eyebrow at her.

"I've seen grown men tremble at the mention of the ghosts that we house here. They're not your typical ghosts, mind you. We have a breed all our own," he said, winking at her.

"If you're done telling your ridiculous ghost stories, I would very much like to go to bed now," she spoke authoritatively, continuing to stare him down.

"Of course," he said, raising his hands defensively. "Who am I to keep a diva from her beauty sleep? Just remember what I said."

"Goodnight, monsieur." She held her position, waiting for him to retreat. He nodded his head and turned away, making his way back down the corridor and out of sight. Glad to be rid of him, she continued her search. Up ahead, she heard the sound of footsteps again lightly treading. "Hello?" She called out again. The footsteps picked up their pace, gradually getting softer and farther away. They were still loud enough that she could hear a distinct change in direction, going down a different corridor. She continued on, not wanting to startle this person further. Perhaps it really was a ghost after all…

As she continued, she came to a little, almost unnoticeable corridor off to the right. It was directly behind a column and would be almost invisible, had she not been intently looking for something of this nature. It was completely dark…dark enough that she could not see her own hand in front of her face. She ran her hands across the wall, searching for another hidden passageway or anything, when the texture under her hand changed from the stone walls to a wooden door. She felt around the area of the door until her hand finally brushed over the handle. Taking a deep breath in, she grabbed the handle firmly and pulled it toward her. Surprisingly to her, it was unlocked. She stared into the threshold of yet another pitch black corridor.

Before she had a chance to gather her thoughts, a loud voice suddenly filled the air. "Leave here!" the walls themselves seemed to yell in an angry tone. She screamed aloud and ran away, not slowing for even a second until she was back in the safety of her room with the door locked behind her. She pulled the covers up over her head and attempted to soothe her racing heart. She knew that this was a strange place, but she never imagined that the walls would speak to her, much less yell at her. After an hour of talking herself down, she was finally able to calm herself enough to go to sleep. Next time, she decided, maybe it would be wise to heed the warnings of those who are more familiar with the secrets of the opera house than her…


	2. The Encounter

The next night, Victoria walked slowly and nervously down the very same corridor from the night before, lantern in hand. In a fit of boredom, she decided to venture back to the secret passageway, eager to learn of the secrets within. She reached the door, and with a deep breath, tested the door. Shockingly enough to her, the door was unlocked, and opened without protest or picking of the lock. Immediately, she was faced with another dark corridor. Unlit candelabras lined the stone walls which were just narrow enough for one person to somewhat comfortable navigate through. In the confines of the darkness, the passageway seemed to stretch on forever. There was a slight downward spiral of the passage, taking her deeper and deeper into the catacombs of the opera house, which until that point, she wasn't aware existed. Nobody had ever mentioned them, so she had no way of knowing.

After what seemed like an eternity of descending, she found herself at the edge of a vast lake, extending as far as the dim light from her lantern would allow her to see. In the distance, she could hear the faint sounds of an organ playing a song which was unfamiliar to her. She closed her eyes and focused on the way that the song seduced every one of her senses. Once she came back to herself, she set her lantern down on the bank, and stared at the lake before her. How long could it really be, she thought? Before she had any second thoughts, she slid herself quietly into the water. It chilled her to the bone, but she absolutely had to see who, or what was creating this angelic music. Taking a deep breath and filling her lungs with air, she dove under the surface, wanting to swim through as quietly as possible. The last thing she wanted was to disturb the creator of this music. She came up periodically to refresh her lungs and take a look at her surroundings, making sure that she wasn't nearing a dead end. She came up one again to see a lit space up ahead of her. Anxiously taking another breath, she submerged herself again, swimming closer and closer to her destination. She quietly broke the surface one final time and scanned her surroundings. Finally, she had found the source of the music. She could see the outline of a man against the soft candle light, sitting at an organ playing passionately. She quietly waded through the water, a strange, unseen force pulling her closer and closer to him. Once she was close enough to hear and see everything more clearly, she stopped and completely took in her surroundings. The room was completely lit with candles all around, and was filled with all sorts of interesting gadgets and random trinkets, as well as art in every form imaginable.

The man, sensing a presence, stopped playing and sat silently for a moment. Victoria froze and held her breath. She knew that he was aware of her presence, and she silently cursed herself for coming here. All she could think was that she was deep in the catacombs while everyone else was fast asleep…nobody would hear her scream from down here…

The mysterious man turned around and locked eyes with the girl that stood silently in the lake. His eyes burned through her, making a shudder run down her spine. He stood and silently made his way toward her, his stride elegant and graceful. Despite the obvious fury that his eyes showed, he displayed a shockingly calm demeanor. He moved to the edge of the lake, never once removing his eyes from her.

"Why are you here?" he asked calmly, yet venom dripping from his voice.

"I….I," Victoria stumbled over her words, honestly not know why she was here. Would "because I was bored" suffice as a suitable answer?

"You have about five seconds to gather your words and answer me, child."

"I just…I have been hearing the most beautiful music, and I had to see where it was coming from. I'm sorry to have invaded," she said, slowly backing away.

"Do you not heed warnings spoken to you?" He asked, the volume of his voice increasing.

"I'm sorry, I'll just…" she said as she began to walk away.

"Do not turn away from me!" his voice boomed, echoing through the room. Victoria quickly turned back to face him, and her body began to tremble. For the first time, she noticed the ominous looking mask that adorned his face.

"_What has he to hide?" _She wondered to herself.

"Don't think that you shall be leaving so soon, child." There was a threatening tone to his voice, one that left Victoria with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Come to me," he commanded. Victoria complied, not wanting to anger this man further. Not only that, but he had a certain allure and familiarity that pulled at her heart, making her _want_ to be closer to him. When she was within arm's reach, Erik grabbed her by the arm and pulled her from the water. She winced, her arm feeling like it was being pulled from its socket. "You have crossed into forbidden territory now, child," he said, a hint of madness in his voice.

"I am not a child," Victoria shot back boldly. The man smirked.

"Oh, but you are, my dear. Only a child would be stupid enough to meddle in the affairs of an unknown phantom and invade his kingdom. Erik does not like to be invaded…"

"So you intend to keep me here?" She asked, disbelief lacing her voice.

The man, who called himself Erik, moved so that his face was inches from hers, and his grip on her arm tightened. "You should consider yourself lucky that I don't just end your life here and now," he almost growled at her. Despite his icy façade, Erik's motivation was less than frigid. There was something about this girl that pulled at him. If almost felt as if he could have known her in another life. He had traveled the world, so the chances of him having crossed her path at some point was very likely. She felt so close to him, yet he could not for the life of him place her. "You should find that everything you should need it here," he said apathetically. "Life underground isn't so bad once you become accustomed to it."

"How long are you planning on keeping me here? Perhaps you have yet to notice, but I am the leading lady, and I've rehearsals to attend."

"They will learn to get along without you temporarily."

"_Temporarily…that is good to hear," _Victoria thought. _"So perhaps he has plans to release me at some point after all…"_

Erik's curiosity still getting the best of him, the pull that she had on him was growing stronger and stronger. Her eyes, especially, drew him in. There was something so deep and passionate about them. They seemed, in a strange way, to coincide completely with his very soul. They spoke to him the most. He cursed his mind for being unable to identify the familiarity in this girl. He grew silent, thinking with all of his might. Something in him suddenly snapped, and with a growl on his face, he pulled her across the room, stopping in front of his spare bedroom to take one final look at her before shoving her roughly into the room and locking the door behind him. He pressed his back against the door and slumped against it, closing his eyes.

"What am I doing?" he whispered to himself quietly. The silence was broken by the sound of a jiggling doorknob and a loud knocking on the door behind him.

"Let me out this instant!" Victoria screamed at the top of her lungs, continuing to beat on the door.

"You had better silence yourself, or I shall take the liberty of silencing you myself," Erik said loud enough to be heard over her incessant knocking.

"Then let me out!

While a part of Erik did want to release her from her confinement, he knew that he couldn't. The last time someone had that kind of pull on him, it only ended in disaster. He promised himself that shan't happen a second time. He had learned from his past, and would not be repeating the same mistake again…

He allowed himself to walk away, fighting the urges which were quickly becoming more and more overwhelming. He sat down at his work desk, these urges physically draining him. Holding his head in his hands, he cursed himself…cursed the girl…cursed the world! His past slowly began seeping back into his mind. He did not allow anybody to have this kind of control over his being. Being conditioned to believe that everyone would hurt him, he had learned to distance himself from the world. Then here comes this child with an undeniable pull on him…a child, no less! There had been a point where he made himself completely vulnerable to one person, thinking that she was the one who could save him, and as usual, he was the one who ended up getting destroyed in the end.

He let his fists fall heavily on his desk, a scowl playing across his features. "No! I shan't let this happen again," he vowed to himself. "No matter who this child is, I will not give in to this urge." He mentally cut her from him, pushing his curiosity and longing from his mind. Finally, Victoria got silent, most likely tired out from her unending beating and screaming. Finally Erik was left alone with his silence, contemplating his next move. For his safety, he could not release this child…not until he was confident that she wouldn't go around the opera spilling the secrets of his whereabouts. He wondered, though, if he could maintain what sanity was left in him while she was present here. Only time would tell…


	3. Confrontation

Things over the next couple of days were quiet enough. After Erik finally released Victoria from her room, she just sauntered around curiously, exploring her surroundings, and Erik made sure to keep an extremely close eye on her. Despite the annoyance of her very presence, she was actually proving to be a somewhat low-maintenance guest, much to Erik's surprise.

He had begun to let his guard down and he slowly returned to his work. After all, _Don Juan, _his life work, wasn't going to compose itself. He furrowed his brow and feverishly pounded out the notes that had been trapped inside his mind. He normally couldn't work in the presence of such company, but for some reason, Victoria's intrusive presence didn't hinder him as it normally would. Besides, it's not like she could ever begin to understand the depth of a work such as _Don Juan…_

Becoming less self-amused and more interested in Erik's music, Victoria strode over to where he sat composing, giggling at the fierce expression that rested on Erik's features. She hoisted herself up and sat on top of the lid of his grand piano, making her presence known. Erik looked up and furiously slammed his hands down on the keys, sending out a harsh wave of clashing notes. "You insolent child!" he yelled, violently pushing himself into a standing position. "You dare interrupt my work?"

"No need to get so wound up, _Monsieur Phantom_," she said mockingly, playfully swinging her legs.

One day, and Erik was almost at wit's end with this child. "Have you no respect, child?" He was visibly trying to snuff the intense anger he was feeling, and trying to assuage the homicidal tendencies that were currently pushing at his mind. Smoothing his hair and attempting to gain his composure, he began walking away.

"I know what it's like, you know…" Erik stopped in his tracks at Victoria's words, confused as to what she was getting at.

"Wha…" Victoria cut him off before he could finish his thought. She hopped off of the piano and continued.

"I know how it feels to be an outcast…to want to hide yourself away from the rest of the world." She took a couple steps closer to Erik, who was frozen with a look of pure shock on his face. "I know the shame, the lonliness...I—"

"I am far from lonely, child," he cut her off hastily with bitterly-woven words.

"I also know the denial," she spoke, shooting him a challenging, yet somber glance. Erik closed the distance between the two of them, staring down on this insolent child. How could she know of such things? And who is she to assume that he was also familiar with them as well? Her gaze unwavering, she justified herself. "I can hear it in your music…the loneliness, the pain…I know the unmistakable sound of it. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone…"

Erik stood shaking, seething with silent anger. He attempted to compose himself, but to no avail. "Do not presume that you know me, child. You cannot fathom the things that I have seen and done," he growled. "I had been to hell and back twice by the time I was your age!" Victoria opened her mouth to apologize, but Erik continued yelling before she could utter so much as a sound. "I have faced more adversity in my years than entire colonies will ever know in a lifetime, so do forgive me if I've learned how to look out for my own interest. That is not hiding, my dear; that is self-preservation." After a moment of silence he turned again to leave.

"If you're not hiding, then what's with the mask?" she asked, her eyes focused on the floor.

"What's with the—" he muttered silently, his back still to Victoria. "What's with the mask!" he growled, whipping around to face her with madness in his eyes. With one swift movement, he reached up and slung his mask to the floor, staring madly at Victoria. Victoria gasped and turned away, not in fear of his face, but in fear of his reaction. Erik grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look at his deformity. "You wanted to see, now look! Feast your eyes upon the face of the devil himself…" He tightened his painful grip on Victoria's hair, bringing her face within an inch of his. "Do you see what I've been cursed with? Do you see! Can you look at me now and say that you _understand_ what I've been through?" With that he released his grip, throwing her away from him onto the floor. Victoria lay in a crumpled heap, sorry that she had offended this man, yet still wishing that he would open up to her and accept her.

Erik slowly gained his composure and smoothed out his hair once again. "I must go…there is much work to be done. I trust that you can manage on your own for one night without wreaking too much havoc." With that being said, he gathered his mask and his cape, massaging his temples as he made his way to the entrance of his lair. There truly was much work that he needed to get done, and perhaps doing so would clear his mind of tonight's events as well as the disrespectful child lying on the floor behind him.

Victoria, still on shock, sat up to watch Erik leave. She had never meant to offend him…simply comfort him. She silently vowed to find a way and make things right with him. Maybe for now, just being a lesser-seen house guest would suffice. Clearly, there was no way to verbally reason with this man, so perhaps her semi-absence would be a more accepted apology.


	4. Reconciliation

As promised, Erik returned late from the site. He returned to find Victoria sprawled out on the couch in front of the fireplace with one of his books lying across her chest.

_She waited up for me?..._

He quietly strode over to her and covered her carefully with a blanket. As he looked down on her sleeping form, he had the sudden urge to stroke her hair, though, he shook the urge almost as quickly as it appeared. Who could blame him, he reasoned. After all, it had been years since he had any meaningful human contact. Not since… Again, he shook that thought from his mind. He promised himself long ago that he would refuse to think about _her…_

_She looks so familiar, _he thought to himself, yet still could not figure out why. Perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, he concluded. Regardless, Victoria puzzled him to no end. His anger for her had completely diminished, almost as if their argument had never happened. He had this unexplainable urge to care for her…take her under his wing.

His mind confused and troubled, he retreated to his room, considering the fact that a good night sleep may shake these strange feelings and urges. Lord knows, for his own sanity, they could not remain.

When Erik awoke the next morning, the sweet aroma of hot tea filled the air. He walked into the kitchen to find Victoria conveniently pouring two cups of the sweet liquid. Hearing him come in the door, she turned to look at him.

"I was hoping you would wake up soon," she spoke extra sweetly. "There's nothing worse than drinking cold tea." He accepted the cup in her outstretched hands gratefully and blew on it before bringing the exquisite-smelling liquid to his lips.

"Thank you," he said in a genuinely grateful voice. Victoria also took a sip of her own tea and nervously met Erik's eyes.

"Erik," she spoke nervously. Still sipping his tea, he raised an eyebrow, acknowledging her desire to speak. "I want to apologize for yesterday. I was out of line…I had no right…"

"Think no more of it," he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "You must forgive me…I'm not used to having company, so I often don't know how to act. I must try to work on that," he said with a sigh, his usual animosity remaining absent. Nobody in history, not even _h_er, made him want to strive for self-improvement. Even _she_, the one person who accepted him for himself, flaws and all, never made the thought of self-improvement even cross his mind. But now he vowed to at least try. "So, tell me about yourself," he said, feigning interest to fill the awkward silence.

"Oh, so now you want a heart-to-heart?" She spoke, almost bitterly. Biting her tongue, she apologized. "Sorry…I'm not good at the whole 'forgive and forget' thing. That's something _I'll _need to work on."

Erik nodded in agreement. This was progress, at least. They both recognized their flaws and sought to work on them.

"So does your family live in the area? Near the opera house?"

She shook her head. "My mother lives quite a long way from here. She sent me here, because she knows I belong in theater, and she said that the Opera Populaire is the best place to be. She said my talent is too great to go to waste."

Erik nodded, as he could recall one person in particular with talent like that as well. "And your father?"

Victoria lowered her head slightly, obviously pushing back painful memories. "I…I never knew him. Mom never told me much about him, either. She always said not to let it worry me, because she has enough love for me for both him and her. So I just silently accepted that my father would never be a part of my life." While that acceptance may have been true, her eyes also held the pain of never knowing her father…the other half responsible for creating her very being.

"I'm sorry," Erik said genuinely. He shook his head in pity…what reason could a father give for not being a part of his daughter's life? He didn't think him to be dead…no, there's no shame in telling your daughter of her dead father. This was something much darker and much more secretive. But what? After giving it some thought, was the mother or the father truly to blame? Was it a case of an absent father, or a restrictive mother? In that case, what could this man have done to earn such a fate? All of these questions overcame him, nagging at him, and pressing on his mind. Though he would most likely not be able to stand the prolonged human exposure and all the other troubles associated with parenthood, the thought of his own flesh and blood existing outside himself was strangely appealing. He began to envy this child's father, who may have very well willingly given up his right to fatherhood. All these strange thoughts…who was this person slowly taking over him, and how did they manage to tame the animal inside of him?

Though he would never tell her this, his parents were far from desirable as well. His father, whom he also never knew, died shortly after his birth. His mother, on the other hand, completely capable, disowned him almost as soon as he first saw the light of day. Though she truly did try to feign love for years, she never could recover from the fact that her only son had the face of the devil. And it speaks volumes, he thought, to know that his mother would completely disown him simply because of an undesirable exterior. Nothing more than a disfigured face could provoke her fear and loathing.

Erik blinked back the pain in his eyes, not letting it shine through. He could not stand the thought of letting another person have that intimate understanding of him.

"So what about you?" Victoria asked, changing the subject. "How did you end up here?"

Erik remembered this story well…in excruciating detail. But, he decided to just go with the condensed version. "I had a hand in the building of this opera house," he spoke, pride filling his voice. "In fact, I was the architect directly responsible for most of the work done here, though I worked mainly behind the scenes." He admired his work as he spoke, slowly tracing the walls with his eyes. "I had so much work and so many years invested in this place, so I couldn't just leave when all was said and done. That's when I decided to single-handedly add a few stories and passages below the building. I had only planned to make it into sort of a retreat, at most. However, as my work here progressed, I found the idea of living here permanently more and more appealing, until I finally made up my mind to do it. That way I can be constantly surrounded with my passion." A dreamy look filled his eyes. "I can watch the performances here, and guide the stars along their way, if so desired."

Victoria smiled at his talk of passion about music…a passion that she was all too familiar with herself. Though things had gotten off to a rough start between the two, Victoria was feeling better and more comfortable about her time with Erik below the opera house.


End file.
